JIM: Sorry, I didn’t know that they needed to be. I thought the figures spoke for themselves.

TOM: Even when it’s obvious what your graph is trying to show, your axes still need to be labeled.

JIM: Ok, I will next time, I promise. I apologize for the inconvenience.

TOM: It’s ok this time, but at least tell the room what’s going on.

JIM: Well our Y axis shows the amount of money we paid in investments, while the X axis is a standard temporal line.

TOM: And why do we have a negative quadrant?

JIM: To show how much money the previous year’s investments produced in the subsequent year. So these aren’t expenditures, but actual income.

TOM: So let me get this straight, you’ve got a crazy graph where negative means positive, and you still didn’t label your axes?

JIM: Yeah, I see your point, that is kind of weird, isn’t it?

Dialog 2

TOM: So if I understand correctly, you’re using a logarithmic graph here, right?

JIM: That’s right.

TOM: Mind explaining why?

JIM: Sure, it’s just the nature of the industry. Sadly, to achieve incremental steps in boosting efficiency, it’s not enough just to expect a 1 to 1 correlation. You actually need to quadruple your efforts to see one step of improvement.

TOM: That’s extremely taxing on our resources isn’t it?

JIM: Yes, but you can at least see the usefulness of the investment in this graph. It may not be 1 to 1, but it definitely is consistent.

TOM: That’s true. You can see clearly that every time we’ve had the capacity to invest 4 times as much, the payoff was immediate.

JIM: That’s exactly the point, and there’s no other way to show that except with a log graph.

Dialog 3

TOM: So what can we conclude from this graph?

JIM: Not very much, I’m afraid. It’s evident that there were substantial market events which influenced sales, but other deductions are hard to draw.

TOM: Then what’s the point of showing us this data, then?

JIM: That’s a good question. While it does not provide strong evidence for management’s theory about the usefulness of the changes it implemented, I think it’s helpful to see how external events can have an effect on otherwise well-conceived ideas.

TOM: Basically you’re showing us that we are impotent to combat external forces.

JIM: Right.

TOM: Well the management board isn’t going to like that too much.

JIM: I’m sure, but what can we do? Facts are facts.

Dialog 4

TOM: Have you already assessed your figures?

JIM: Absolutely, we’ve already run several analyses.

TOM: And what have you determined.

JIM: Well the data clearly show the need for a more targeted approach.

TOM: How did you come up with that?

JIM: Well we can see spikes every time we have a sales campaign, which shows the relationship between our focused market tactics and effectiveness.

TOM: Are you sure about this?

JIM: Without a doubt. The data make a pretty solid case.

TOM: Well thanks for the information. I think we know how to frame our suggestions, now.

Dialog 5

TOM: The growth in sales does not seem to match the increase in output, does it?

JIM: Sadly no. We’ve increased production significantly, while there is just a gentle rise in sales.

TOM: That’s not exactly a sustainable approach, is it?

JIM: Not really. We should be seeing a much more direct relationship.

TOM: Or at least seeing some sort of peaks in the sales figures, so that the regression towards normalcy would be an expected result of after-market effects.

JIM: Agreed.

TOM: So what are your suggestions?

JIM: To be honest, I think that data clearly indicate that we should halt production on this product. We have enough units in storage that we can redirect production capacities to a new product, maybe even a new launch.

TOM: So to develop something new?

JIM: Yes.

TOM: Ok, so we’ll need to see this same graph again, now factoring in development activities.

JIM: Sure, by the end of next week?

GRAPH DESCRIPTIONS

1

The x axis of our chart indicates the twelve months of last year, while our sales in thousands of euros are on the y axis. It is clearly evident that our sales went up progressively in the first quarter of the year (from January to April) and reached a peak in April. Afterwards they fell in August and leveled out in September. A subsequent sharp rise that took place in September was followed by a dramatic fall in November. Then, sales made a significant recovery in December and the year ended encouragingly.

2

The line graph illustrates the number of internet users in the developed world and covers the period between 2010 and 2014. It clearly indicates that the number of internet users rose progressively and sharply during this period, starting at just under 67 per cent to reach more than 77% in 2014. There were no falls within this period. Despite the fact that we do not have the most recent numbers, it is hardly probable that this trend will ever reverse.

3

The line graph indicates the download rate per month of the TRX, WALQ, and SAY mobile apps over a time frame of ten months. It is apparent from the chart that TRX was the most fashionable app to download, while SAY was the least popular of the three.

To start, TRX and WALQ indicated a comparable pattern by both gradually rising from month 1 to month 10. Nevertheless, the purchases of WALQ continued to be notably lower than for the other product over this period. In month 1, purchases of TRX stood at around 34,000, while those for WALQ were about 8,000 lower. Excluding a minor decrease in the sixth month, downloads of TRX kept escalating until reaching their peak in the final month of just over 52,000. WALQ also went up at a solid rate, concluding the period of ten months at 41,000.

The product which users chose to download the least was SAY. This application began at somewhat under 25,000, and, in opposition to the other two products, dropped over the next three months to reach the lowest point that stood at approximately 19,000. Afterwards, it rose significantly over the subsequent months to finish the period at about 50,000.

4

The graph indicates the main reasons that people immigrated to and emigrated from Germany in 2014. It is not hard to determine from the graph that the primary factor was employment. Employment possibilities were listed as the reason for 34 per cent of immigration to Germany, and the number for emigration was very similar and stood at 28%. Another key reason influencing a move to Germany was study (over a fifth of people immigrated because of this). The percentages of people moving in order to join a family member were quite similar for immigration and emigration and stood at 25% and 23% respectively.

5

The chart illustrates the annual sales figures for 2013. As is noticeable from the graph, in the first quarter sales revenue was €925,000. In the second quarter it fell by €100,000 to €824,000. By the third quarter there was another drop – this time sales dropped by €50,000.

6

The graph indicates the annual sales figures for 2012. In comparison with the year before figures started to recover, and by June the sales had edged up by €230,000. In May, there was a significant jump of €500,000 to €910,000. Overall 2012 was s a very successful year.

7

The graph shows the annual sales figures for 2012. By May, the figures had risen to €240,000. As is obvious due to the nature of our products, summer is a slow time for us. Accordingly, in August there was a decrease of €35,000. But in September the sales plummeted by €80,000 to €285,000. October saw an improvement, with a rise to €450,000. The sales then dropped by €24,000 in November, and then rocketed by €240,000 in November. Overall, it was a flourishing year.